The leaders of the world's 20 biggest economies should use a meeting this weekend in Rome to agree on how to transfer surplus Covid-19 vaccines to low-income countries, a group of former presidents and prime ministers has said.

In a letter to Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, one hundred former leaders and government ministers from around the world urged him to use the G20 summit to address what they said was an unfair distribution of vaccines, Reuters reported.

The group said the United States, European Union, Britain and Canada would be stockpiling 240 million unused vaccines by the end of the month, which these nations' military could immediately airlift to countries in greater need.

“It would be unethical for all these vaccines to be wasted when globally there are 10,000 deaths from Covid-19 every day, many of which could be averted,” said the letter.

Opinion

Editorial

Sustainable path?
Updated 13 Jun, 2026

Sustainable path?

The FY27 budget is the first clear signal that the government is ready to transition from stabilisation to growth.
Prioritising education
13 Jun, 2026

Prioritising education

THOUGH the improvement in the country’s literacy rate may be slight, as highlighted by the Economic Survey, it ...
Poverty’s rise
13 Jun, 2026

Poverty’s rise

AS attention turns to the government’s plans for the coming fiscal year, one set of figures deserves particular...
A difficult story
Updated 12 Jun, 2026

A difficult story

Unless productivity becomes the dominant target of economic policy, Pakistan will continue to oscillate between crises and fragile recovery.
Rough waters
12 Jun, 2026

Rough waters

AMONGST the key potential triggers for fresh conflict in South Asia is water. The Indian state is behaving in an...
Politicised football
12 Jun, 2026

Politicised football

ALMOST three-and-half years since Lionel Messi led Argentina to FIFA World Cup glory, the latest edition of...